The invention is concerned with devices for medical and especially, but not necessarily exclusively, surgical applications. More particularly, the invention relates to such a device for attachment to a patient either for connecting together body parts, e.g., for closing wounds produced during surgical procedures, or for securing an external component, such as a cannula, to a body part to prevent accidental displacement.
The most common technique employed for wound closure during surgical operations is that of stitching using either nylon or other plastic thread or stainless steel wire where greater strength is required. Stitching is often complicated by the need to tie knots which must be reliable and not slip, and this frequently prolongs the time taken to complete an operation, thereby adding to the stress and trauma imparted upon the patient. Furthermore, it is sometimes necessary to apply a certain tension between body parts being connected together, which is difficult to achieve when conventional stitching methods are relied upon, whereby substantial skill is required on the part of the surgeon.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,370 there is disclosed a securing strip for encircling a section of intestine to hold it onto a tubular adaptor inserted into the section of intestine. The securing strip has teeth and a channel portion at one end with complementary depressions so that the strip can be formed into a loop and tightened, the other end of the tie having a ring tab to assist tightening. This strip functions like a well known cable tie for holding together bundles of electric cables and it does not provide an answer to the drawbacks mentioned above.